Fire-telegraph system and apparatus therefor.



E. A. FALLER.

FIRE TELEGRAPH SYSTEM AND APPARATUS THEREFOR.

APPLICATION FILED DBO. 30, 1912.

Patented Oct. 27, 1914.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

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E. A. FALLER.

FIRE TELEGRAPH SYSTEM AND APPARATUS THEREFOR.

APPLICATION FILED 13120.30. 1912.

1, 1 1 5,41 9. Patented 0015.27, 1914.

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UNITE STARS FFl-LQE.

ASSIGNOR TO INDUSTRIAL REALIZATION ENT ii A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

FIRE-TELEGRAPH SYSTEM AND APPARATUS THEREFOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented (Oct. 2?, 1914.

Application filed December 30, 1912. Serial No, 739,222.

To all whom tit-may concern Be it known that l, ERNEST A. FALLER, a citizen of the United States, and resident of the borough of Bronx, in the city of New York, in the county and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire-Telegraph Systems and Apparatus Therefor, (Case F,) of which the following is a specification.

Standard modern fire alarm practice requires the employment of a normally closed metallic electric line circuit, in which there are arranged, in series, a number of fire alarm boxes. mits of constant supervision of the electrical conditions of the system, no provision has as yet been made to supervise and inspect the mechanical conditions of each fire alarm box, except the monthly examination by especially appointed fire alarm box inspectors, as is now the custom in larger cities. It is undoubtedly desirable to provide for a more frequent inspection of the mechanical features of the box, or a test of its operativity, since a box may be out of order for quite some time and this fact would not be detected, unless either by the failure to operate when pulled at an actual fire, or at the monthly test b the inspectors.

Each larger city has now, as a rule, in addition to the fire telegraph system, a police telegraph system, and the boxes of the latter system, are pulled at least once every hour, to indicate whether the policeman on beat is making his proper rounds. Should the fire telegraph system be combined with the police telegraph system and both, while working on difi'erentline circuits, would use a single common set of signal boxes, a regu lar hourly test of the operativity of the signal box mechanism would be made by the policeman, eliminating thereby the necessity of employing special fire alarm box inspectors and the monthly tests made by them. The saving in using only one single set of signal boxes for both purposes, instead of one set for each different purpose, and the discharge of the fire alarm box inspectors, would be considerable.

It is the object of the present invention to make this combination of a fire alarm box and a police telegraph box, using one single set of sending apparatus only, two independent line circuits, however, entering each box, one leading to fire head quarters and While the closed circuit perthe other to police head quarters. Both line circuits are normally closed and, therefore, under constant supervision as to their elec trical conditions. Means are provided that when one of the doors of a box is opened, for instance, the door on the police side, then the closed line circuit connection to fire head quarters remains undisturbed, while the signaling mechanism is placed preferably in series in the closed circuit to police head quarters. The policeman on the beat now pulls the box in the usual manner, by turning a handle or otherwise, which results in the transmission of the box signal, indicating at police head quarters, by means of a llorse register and audible signal or otherwise, the pulled box and recording that the policeman is properly patrolling his beat. Telephonic and other telegraphic apparatus may furthermore be provided on each side of the box, using the same line circuits to head quarters, for the additional transmission of intelligence. may be stated that the doors of the box are preferably so interlocked, that the opening of one door, prevents the opening. of the opposite door. Resilient means may also be arranged for automatically closing the door when released and the keys to the doors may be trapped, so they cannot be withdrawn, unless the door is closed and locked, which, however, isall old in the art. The interlocking doors on opposite sides of the alarm box represent only one form of means for preventing access to or manipulation of the signaling apparatus and any suitable other devices, such as locks, bolts, etc, interdependent, interlocking or otherwise, may be substituted for the doors, and the same or the doors may be on the same or on different sides of the alarm box.

The invention proper comprises a box, having double doors, preferably one each on opposite sides and usually of different color, to more easily identify their purpose, for instance, red for the side of the fire alarm and green for the side of the police signal. Two independent electric circuits, normally closed and metallic, enter the box, one leading to fire head quarters and the other to police head quarters. A'number of boxes, are arranged in series, in the circuits. A single set of signal sending apparatus of any approved type and normally disconnected from the circuits, is used, capable of 3 circuit conditions of the opposite side of the box undisturbed, but places the signal send ing device of the open door side in series, in the line circuit, permitting thereby the transmission of a coded signal, when the'box is pulled. Inasmuch as the sending of a signal is one of the hourly routine duties of the policeman, it will be seen that an hourly test of the operativity of each box is made, eliminating the special monthly examination of the boxes, as heretofore required.

The invention is illustrated in one of its forms in the drawings hereto attached, in WlliCll- Figure 1, is a horizontal section through.

the new combination box, showing in a diagrammatic manner the circuit connections and the operating parts, when both doors are closed, Fig. 2 is a similar view, when the door of the police side is open and the box is ready to send its signal to police headquarters, and Fig. 3, is a diagrammatic view of a number of boxes, connected in series in the line circuits to both head quarters, one of the same in the position. of rest, and the other one ready to send a signal to police headquarters.

The detailed construction of one form of the new box is, as follows: The usual signal pole or column is provided with a casing 1, having a door 2 for the fire alarm side and a second door 3 for the police signal side. A

pivoted lever 4 is arranged in the box and held in position by means of a spring 5. The opening of a door causes the lever to swing on its pivot, on account of one of the sections 6 or 7, connected to the door, engaging one end of the lever, while at the same time the other end thereof, interlocks with the sector of the door of the opposite side, so that this door cannot be opened While the first door is held open. The usual sending apparatus for sending coded signals, such as the number of the box, is indicated, as a whole, at 8. The lever 4 is provided with insulated fingers 9 and 10, the latter of which is capable of actuating the additional insulated fingers 11 and 12, as hereinafter will more fully appear. silient contact spring 13 to 20, inclusive, are so organized that they cooperate with each other in a number of difierent ways. The fingers 10, 11 and 12, are so interposed be- A series of retween the contact springs, and in part connected thereto, that the displacement of the lever 4 in'one direction, creates one'set of circuit conditions, while the displacement of the lever in the opposite direction and the resiliency of the released contact springs, creates another set of circuit conditions.

The lines leading to fire headquarters F H, are shown at L and L and the lines to police head quarters P H, at L and L, re spectively. A battery or other source of electrical energy is'provided at each head quarters, as well as proper signal receiving means, such as Morse registers, audible signals, etc., all of which are well known in the art and, for this reason, not particularly detailed herein. A number of boxesare shown at I, ILIII and IV, one ofwhich is ready to send a signal, and one other in position of rest.

Under normal conditions and when both doors are closed, the contacts 13 and 14, re-- spectively, and 19 and 20 are closed, establishing the two normally closed and inde-v pendent line circuits :from fire head quarters over line L to the box, wire 21, wire joint 22, wires 23 and 24, contact spring 13, now in contact with spring 14, wires 25 and 26, over line L back to fire head quarters. The second normally closed line circuit is, as follows :from police head quarters ovei line L to the box, wire 27, wire joint 28, wire 29, contact spring 20, now in contact with spring 19, wire 30, over line L back to police head quarters. When now the police man of the beat comes around for his hourly call and opens his side of the box with his key, the lever 4 takes the position, shown in Fig. 2, looks the door of the fire side against opening, displaces the contact springs, as shown, and, while leaving the contact springs 13 and 14, undisturbed and thereby maintaining the closed line circuit with fire head quarters, establishes the fol lowing circuit to police headquarters, over which the box signal is sent, as soon as the policeman pulls the proper lever :from police head quarters over line L to the box, wire 30, contact spring 19, now in contact with spring18, wires 32 and 33, contact lever 34, the code wheel 35, of the signal sending apparatus 8, wire 36, contactspring 15,

now in contact with spring 16, wires 37 and 38, wire joint 28, wire 27 over line L", back to police head quarters. fies the pulled box at police head quarters and signifies that the policeman on beat is properly making his round.

This signal identi- Should it be-' come necessary to send a fire alarm, the door on the proper side is. opened, the lever 4 is displaced in a position, opposite to that shown in Fig. 2, the door ofthe police side is locked against opening, the contact springs are displaced (not shown in the drawings), while the contacts 19 and 20, maintain the continuity of the closed line circuit to police head quarters, and the following circuitv is established, over which a signal is sent to fire head quarters, when a citizen pulls the proper lever, to send a fire alarm :-from fire head quarters over line L to the box, wire 21, wire joint 22, wire 31,contact spring 17, now in contact with spring 18, wires 32 and 33, contact lever 3d, the code wheel 35, wire 36, contact spring 15, now in contact with spring 14:, wires 25 and 26, over line L back to fire head quarters. signal has been sent and the door of the box closed and looked, all the connections revert back to the normally closed two independent line circuits.

Claims:

1. The combination with a signal box having doors and containing signal sending means, of a plurality of line circuits entering said box, and means operated by said doors and adapted to place said signal sending means in operative relation to either of said circuits at a time.

2. The combination with a signal box having doors, of a plurality of normally closed electric circuits entering said box, means common to all of said circuits for sending coded signals, and means controlled by said doors for connecting said signal sending means to either of said circuits at a time.

3. The combination with a signal box having doors, of a plurality of electric circuits entering said box, means common to and normally disconnected from all of said circuits for sending coded signals, and means controlled by said doors for connecting said signal sending means to either of said circuits at a time.

4. The combination with a signal box having doors, of a plurality of normally closed electric circuits entering said box, means common to and normally disconnected from all of said circuits for sending coded signals, and means controlled by said doors for connecting said signal sending means to either of said circuits at a time.

5. The combination with a signal box having doors, 0]": a plurality of electric circuits entering said box, means common to all of said circuits for sending coded signals, and means controlled by said doors for placing said signal sending means into inoperative relation to all of said circuits except one.

6. The combination with a signal box having doors, of a plurality of normally closed electric circuits entering said box, means common to all of said circuits for sending coded signals, and means controlled by said doors for placing said signal sending means into inoperative relation to all of said circuits except one.

7 The combination with a signal box having doors, of a plurality of normally closed electric circuits entering said box, means After the.

common to all of said circuits for sending coded signals, means controlled by the opening of said doors for connecting said signal sending means to either 01 said circuits at a time and by the closing of said doors for restoring said signal sending means.

8. The combination with a signal box having doors, of a plurality of electric circuits entering said box, means common to and normally disconnected from all of said circuits for sending coded signals, and means controlled by the opening of. said doors for connecting said signal sending means to either of said circuits at a time and by the closing of said doors for restoring said signal sending means.

9. The combination with a signal box having doors, of a plurality of normally closed electric circuits entering said box, means common to and normally disconnected from all of said circuits for sending coded signals, and means controlled by the opening of said doors for connecting said signal sending means to either of said circuits at a time and by the closing of said doors for restoring said signal sending means.

10. The combination with a signal box having doors, of a plurality of electric circuits entering said box, means common to all of said circuits for sending coded signals, and means controlled by the opening of said doors for placing said signal sending means into inoperative relation to all of said circuits except one and by the closing of said doors for restoring said signal sending means.

11. The combination with a signal box having doors, of a plurality of normally closed electric circuits entering said box, means common to all of said circuits for sending coded signals, and means controlled by the opening of said doors for placing said signal sending means into inoperative relation to all of said circuits except one and by the closing of said doors for restoring said signal sending means.

12. The combination with a signal box having doors, of a plurality of normally closed and independent electric line circuits entering said box, switching devices, signal sending means, and means for causing sai switching devices to maintain closed line conditions in all of said line circuits except one and simultaneously placing said signal sending means in operative relation with said remaining circuit, said latter means being controlled by the opening of the doors of said box.

13. The combination with a signal box having doors, of a plurality of electric circuits entering said box, means common to said circuits for sending coded signals, means controlled by said doors for connecting said signal sending means with either of said circuits, and means controlled by said doors for automatically disconnecting said signal sending means so connected.

14. The combination with a signal box, of a plurality of electric circuits entering the same, means in said box for sending coded signals, means for normally preventing access to and manipulation of said signal sending means, means controlled by said access preventing means for connecting said signalsending means with either of said circuits, and means controlled by said access preventing means for automatically disconnecting said signal sending ,means so ERNEST A. FALLER.

In presence of RALPH JULIAN SAoHnRs, SIGMUND, I-IERzoG.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of -Patents.-

wuhinzton, D. C. 1 

